A stereoscopic imaging apparatus uses two imaging units horizontally arranged with a parallax to take images of the same subject from left and right viewpoints and acquires an image for left eye and an image for right eye. The acquired left and right images are inputted to a 3D display capable of three-dimensional (3D) display and displayed to allow the left and right eyes to separately view the images. In this way, the images can be recognized as a stereoscopic image.
Imaging optical systems of the two imaging units usually have the same performance and characteristics, and the imaging optical systems are adjusted and incorporated into the main body of the apparatus so that the optical axes of the imaging optical systems coincide.
However, the two imaging optical systems have individual differences. Therefore, if the zoom magnification is changed, which involves lens movement, there is a problem that the optical axes of the two imaging optical systems are deviated in accordance with the zoom position. It is extremely difficult to mechanically adjust the optical axes to prevent the optical axis deviation throughout the entire zoom range.
Conventionally, to solve the problem, a stereoscopic imaging apparatus is proposed, the apparatus including storage means for storing an optical axis deviation of two imaging optical systems for each zoom position, wherein a corresponding optical axis deviation is read out from the storage means according to the zoom position of the imaging optical systems during imaging, and coordinates of one of left and right images taken based on the
Patent Literature 2 discloses a stereoscopic imaging apparatus including: a first lens barrel that includes a CCD for obtaining imaging information for right eye; a second lens barrel including a CCD for obtaining imaging information for left eye; a camera detection circuit that detects focal lengths of the first lens barrel and the second lens barrel; a ROM that stores in advance an amount of deviation of optical axis centers of the first lens barrel and the second lens barrel at each focal length and that is constituted by an EEPROM or the like; and a CPU that controls an image cut-out area of at least one of the pair of left and right CCDs at each focal length based on an output from the ROM.